Google and CIA joint venture

Google's privacy record isn't great - and this deal with the CIA will send activists into a spin.

Google has decided that it doesn't get enough bad press about its sometimes shaky commitment to the ideals of personal privacy, and has teamed up with the CIA to invest in Recorded Future, a web monitoring package described as 'the ultimate tool for open-source intelligence.'

The search and advertising giant has, according to Wired, invested $10 million into the company behind the software - mainly, it would appear, for the services it can offer in terms of building a picture of the growth of trends in advertising.

However, the CIA's involvement - with In-Q-Tel, the body's investment arm, putting in an equal $10 million stake - is sure to raise eyebrows amongst privacy lobbyists - especially as Recorded Future is known for providing its monitoring and predictive services to government agencies in the name of anti-terrorism.

With Fast Company's Addy Dugdale describing Recorded Future as having 'a real feeling of Minority Report, [and sounding] like the kind of tool that will be used to predict crimes' those who are already concerned about the volume of personal data Google compiles on anyone using its services - knowingly or, with the launch of such schemes as Google Analytics, unknowingly - are likely to take a dim view of the deal.

Worse still is the company's involvement with the CIA: while it's not thought that the partnership extends beyond investing in the same company, for the multi-national Google to be seen cosying up with a secretive US intelligence agency could well prove something of an international PR nightmare.

Are you concerned that Google is getting a little too friendly with the CIA, or is this just a case of two separate entities investing in the same company for their own unique reasons? Share your thoughts over in the forums.

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25 Comments

This maybe why many other countries and falling over themselves to question the integrity of Google. This is not a good thing and the sooner you change your search engine and remove the toolbars the better.

Oh no, they could see this and now I'm going to get agents swinging through the window getting all angry and shouty!

I think both the Fast Company blog post and this are overblown. The key term here is 'open-source intelligence' - all this platform is doing is using publicly available information from mainstream news, blogs and wikis. Indeed, the analysis in the video of their platform seems to just look like Google News with more keyword matching.

Originally Posted by mullI think both the Fast Company blog post and this are overblown. The key term here is 'open-source intelligence' - all this platform is doing is using publicly available information from mainstream news, blogs and wikis. Indeed, the analysis in the video of their platform seems to just look like Google News with more keyword matching.

Sorry dude but I really think you are being way too naive to think it won't be used for something more sinister.

Originally Posted by mullI think both the Fast Company blog post and this are overblown. The key term here is 'open-source intelligence' - all this platform is doing is using publicly available information from mainstream news, blogs and wikis. Indeed, the analysis in the video of their platform seems to just look like Google News with more keyword matching.

Sorry dude but I really think you are being way too naive to think it won't be used for something more sinister.

Sorry dude but I really think you are being way too naive to think it will be used for something more sinister.

What's not sinister about the fact that it uses publicly availble information? Everything that any agency like the CIA does is sinister, because history has repeatedly shown that they essentially operate outside the law. And do an awful lot of Bad Sh*t. Even on those few occasions where law-breaking comes to light, no individual ever faces the sanctions that the rest of us would.

intelligence agency + largest software company in the world + data mining the internet = highly sinister.

Originally Posted by mullI think both the Fast Company blog post and this are overblown. The key term here is 'open-source intelligence' - all this platform is doing is using publicly available information from mainstream news, blogs and wikis. Indeed, the analysis in the video of their platform seems to just look like Google News with more keyword matching.

Sorry dude but I really think you are being way too naive to think it won't be used for something more sinister.

Sorry dude but I really think you are being way too naive to think it will be used for something more sinister.

naive for thinking it might be used for sth sinister? maybe the word ur looking for is paranoid :p

that being said, only the paranoia will survive anyway. w00t! lol

my 2c: oh yes, it will be used for sth sinister sooner or later. depending on the development of it, it could be the latter...

i mean, if the CIA is interested in cost-recovery print-tracking software so they can monitor the activities of what people prints in the office... well... web monitoring tools can be quite interesting....

Until the day that we are all legally required to attach our real name to any actions online, using the internet does not imply consent. Besides which, the park is a public place, it doesn't mean that by walking my dog there I give security forces consent to film me or eavesdrop on my highly classified conversations with the dog.

Originally Posted by battles_atlasWhat's not sinister about the fact that it uses publicly availble information? Everything that any agency like the CIA does is sinister, because history has repeatedly shown that they essentially operate outside the law. And do an awful lot of Bad Sh*t. Even on those few occasions where law-breaking comes to light, no individual ever faces the sanctions that the rest of us would.

intelligence agency + largest software company in the world + data mining the internet = highly sinister.

Until the day that we are all legally required to attach our real name to any actions online, using the internet does not imply consent. Besides which, the park is a public place, it doesn't mean that by walking my dog there I give security forces consent to film me or eavesdrop on my highly classified conversations with the dog.[/QUOTE]

Actually you kind of do. I mean seriously. Isn't it the UK with all the CCTV set-ups? You're probably being filmed doing many mundane things. Sure they don't all link to high end government offices (think the security feeds in any store to prevent shoplifting, no one comments about them unless they shoplift).

So... yeah...

If it wasn't the CIA I'd say the Government should look into this and see if it's some sort of monopoly or just a bad idea. But it's the CIA, the poster-boy for covert Government ... stuff. No one really know exactly what the CIA does, just what the Government let's us know to keep up appearances.

That being said, you have to do quite a bit to piss off the CIA. I'd be more worried if it had been offered to those trigger happy mooks at the FBI though. The FBI has started stepping in more and more where local police and SWAT teams should be and it's kind of annoying.

If you don't like it though, stop using the internet. It's not exactly rocket science.

Originally Posted by mullI think both the Fast Company blog post and this are overblown. The key term here is 'open-source intelligence' - all this platform is doing is using publicly available information from mainstream news, blogs and wikis. Indeed, the analysis in the video of their platform seems to just look like Google News with more keyword matching.

Sorry dude but I really think you are being way too naive to think it won't be used for something more sinister.

Sorry dude but I really think you are being way too naive to think it will be used for something more sinister.

Who uses the internet? EVERYONE. Its highly unlikely the CIA wont be using this for some sinister covert operation. If said country uses the internet, then the CIA can use this as a backdoor and find some classified information. Considering that the CIA has reguarly shown that it is part of the people causing the problems in the world (the CIA used to back the Taliban, when Russia went to war with Afghanistan). As well as that, Google has a lot of things for free, you cant run one of the big companies and not have some funding. (this is turn could be used as blackmail and force Google to do something)

....Google, Android, Chrome, Facebook, Twitter, store loyalty cards like nectar, boots the chemist.....come on guys get up to speed.
BT has been a close partner of the "Men in Black", (GB division) for decades.

Originally Posted by mecblade Considering that the CIA has reguarly shown that it is part of the people causing the problems in the world (the CIA used to back the Taliban, when Russia went to war with Afghanistan).

Oh come on, at least get your facts straight, the CIA (and several other US government agencies), along with the UK, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, and the PRC supported the Mujahideen, not the Taliban during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. The Taliban did not originate as an organization until 1994, and did not take power in Afghanistan until 1996....

Originally Posted by FizzbanSo googling how to make bombs out of fertilizer will be a no-no? lol

Here's a few more things you might not want to "google". u.s. war crimes; american troops murdering civilians; civil liberties; u.s. fascism; u.s. police state; cia torture.

Quote:

Originally Posted by battles_atlasWhat's not sinister about the fact that it uses publicly availble information? Everything that any agency like the CIA does is sinister, because history has repeatedly shown that they essentially operate outside the law. And do an awful lot of Bad Sh*t. Even on those few occasions where law-breaking comes to light, no individual ever faces the sanctions that the rest of us would.

intelligence agency + largest software company in the world + data mining the internet = highly sinister.

I agree. Most people like kilmoor are clueless and hopeless.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mecbladeWho uses the internet? EVERYONE. Its highly unlikely the CIA wont be using this for some sinister covert operation. If said country uses the internet, then the CIA can use this as a backdoor and find some classified information. Considering that the CIA has reguarly shown that it is part of the people causing the problems in the world (the CIA used to back the Taliban, when Russia went to war with Afghanistan). As well as that, Google has a lot of things for free, you cant run one of the big companies and not have some funding. (this is turn could be used as blackmail and force Google to do something)

It's not so much that the cia is spying on people. It's the fact that america tries to portray itself as some kind of land for "freedom" and "democracy", when in fact it is the exact opposite of what it claims to be. Now if it just came out and said it was fascist, then I will back off and just accept that they are really highly organised gangsters in control. I don't think you will have to force, or blackmail zionist sergei brin to do much. He'll pretty much serve it on a silver platter to the cia.

If the CIA (or any government agency for that matter) really wanted to compile information on you, I'm quiet sure it could do it right now without much problem. All this does is make it easer. I wouldn't worry, It's not like you can do much about it. :/

New World Order and goooglliiesss at the heart of it, you fools you all felll for thier bull . on the other hand its a recentuoin perhaps the CIA are having to advertise their wares like assasanation overthrow a small country ,destablize an economy south american mostly , googles the perfect place .

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